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The Gunfighters (TV story)
The Gunfighters 'is the eighth serial of the third season of ''Doctor Who. It was written by Donald Cotton, directed by Rex Tucker and featured William Hartnell as the First Doctor, Peter Purves as Steven Taylor and Jackie Lane as Dodo Chaplet. Overview To be added Synopsis Tombstone, Arizona, 1881. The air is filled with the sounds of shooting, cussing and toe-tapping tunes knocked out of a battered piano an the Last Chance Saloon. And then this is something even less familiar; the wheezing, groaning sound of a police box materialising. The Doctor, Steven and Dodo aren't the only newcomers in town. The Clanton brothers have ridden in to settle a grudge with Doc Holliday, a notorious gambler, drinker and dentist. In the Wild West, tempers are short, guns are swift and a moment's hesitation on the draw can mean death. Plot A Holliday for the Doctor (1) While a woman sings a Western ballad in a local tavern in the town of Tombstone, a trio of gunslingers, the Clanton brothers, Ike, Phineas and Billy, ride into town and shoot the town sign. After they tie their horses up, the TARDIS lands in a nearby lot. The Doctor emerges complaining about a tooth ache, followed by Steven and Dodo and tells them both that it'll need to be removed. Looking around, Dodo discerns that they've landed in the "wild west" and both she and Steven excitedly rush into the TARDIS to change. In the Last Chance Saloon, the Clantons are met by Seth Harper, whom they confide their intention to kill Doc Holiday to, unaware that they are overheard by Charlie, the barman, and Kate Fisher, the singer. Steven and Dodo emerge from the TARDIS dressed in stereotypically cowboy attire and Dodo gives the Doctor a stetson to blend in. While Steven and Dodo mess around and play act being cowboys, they are interrupted by Wyatt Earp, the town's marshal, who overheard Steven's exaggerated boasting about being the "fastest gun in the west" and takes him seriously. While the Clintons share more drinks in the Saloon, Kate Fisher takes off from the bar to find Doc Holiday, to whom she is his lover, and warns him that the Clantons are making plans to assassinate him. She insists that he get out of Tombstone but he stubbornly refuses to. Holiday and Fisher's spontaneous flirting is interrupted by the town sheriff, Bat Matherson, who also suggests that Holiday watch himself. Earp brings the Doctor and his companions over the Matherson and the Doctor introduces them and asks after a local dentist, to which Earp and Matherson direct him to Holiday's surgery. After they've gone, Earp and Matherson confide to each other that having Holiday and the Clantons in town at the same time is going to cause trouble quite soon. Later on, which Steven and Dodo complain about their 'covers', the Doctor finds Holiday's surgery and goes to get his sore tooth extracted (with coaxing from his companions when he demonstrates cold feet). He walks into the surgery to find Holiday and Fisher in the middle of an intimate moment, but, being their first customer, they are delighted to serve him. The Doctor tries to wiggle out of it, but is unsuccessful; even more unnerving for him as that the time period has no anaesthetic on hand and Holiday heartily takes swigs of alcohol before the surgery. Nevertheless, Holiday still puts him through the less than comfortable surgery. The Clantons soon start to get bored in the Saloon and start shooting things when Dodo and Steven enter trying to blend in. Steven books the room above the Saloon but the Clantons overhear Dodo leave the TARDIS key for the Doctor and suspect that they're in league with Doc Holiday. They send Harper to seek out Holiday; when he arrives at the surgery, he asks the Doctor if he is Holiday and he misunderstands the question and unwittingly tells Harper that he is. He gives the Doctor a message from the others to come to the Saloon; Holiday and Fisher listen from the other room and, realising the chance to get out of his death threats, arms the Doctor with his gun and sends him on his way, knowing the Clantons would kill him in his place. Meanwhile, the Clantons force Steven and Dodo to perform "The Ballad of the Last Chance Saloon" for them at gunpoint and the Doctor approaches the Saloon with the Clantons ready to kill him Don't Shoot the Pianist (2) While Steven gets increasingly frustrated at singing the same song on repeat, Fisher returns to the Saloon and stops the music before then sending Dodo away and getting Steven to play the piano for her. While he continues to melody of the instrument with Fisher performing for the Clantons, the Doctor comes in unaware that he's being mistaken for Holiday. Up above the rafter, the real Holiday listens to the discussion. The Doctor soon realises the situation a the Clantons advance on him but Holiday fires off a shot from above, giving Fisher the chance to force the hands and surrender their weapons. The Doctor tries to convince them that he isn't Holiday but Earp and Matherson, having overheard the commotion, storm the Saloon, disarm and arrest the Doctor and leave. After they've gone, the Clantons turn their attention to Steven, whom they now assume to be a cohort of Holdiay's. Fisher meets with Holiday and Dodo and tells them of the Doctor's arrest, but, despite Dodo's insistence that they go to find him, they remain in hiding. In the town gaol, Matherson interrogates the Doctor, but Earp is already aware that Holiday had simply used him to avoid getting killed by the Clantons, hence lending him his gun. Insisting that the Doctor is safest in the cell where the Clantons can't get to him, Earp goes off to find the real Holiday. While Steven plans to get the Doctor out of prison and prove his identity, the Clantons interpret this as a jailbreak proposal and agree to aid him. Upstairs, Holiday and Fisher play cards when he gets thirsty and opts to get a drink, but Fisher instead suggests going to get a bottle of whisky from his office. When he gets back there, he finds Earp there waiting for him and he orders him to leave town until he and his brothers manage to deal with the Clantons, who are planning a large hustling operation in the town; he also promises that should he not, he'll opening announce that the Doctor isn't Holiday. The Clantons give Steven a plan of action on how to release the Doctor, passing a gun to him through the window with which to force his release. After Steven leaves to do this, Phineas goes off after him in case he tries to escape with the Doctor. Meanwhile, Dodo and Fisher talk about Holiday, with Dodo wondering how Fisher would be willing to marry an outlaw; she claims that Holiday, in spite of his criminal history, is better than others and has tried to stay on the right side of the law after befriending Earp. Holiday suddenly returns and tells Fisher that they have to leave, apparently because he doesn't wish to kill a friend. Outside the jail, Steven passes the gun to the Doctor and tells him to bluff his way out with it. However, suspecting it to be a trap, the Doctor immediately hands it over the Earp. In the Last Chance Saloon, the Clantons rally a mob of townsfolk with the plot to capture the Doctor and hang him; having also captured Steven, they take him along to hang if the Doctor hasn't escaped. Holiday, Fisher and Dodo watch the commotion outside and Holiday goes outside, unaware that Harper, who was left behind, overhears Fisher refer to him as "Doc". Before Harper can kill him, Holiday draws his pistol faster and shoots him; he orders Fisher to rally three horses, intending to take Dodo with them. When the mob gathers around the gaol, the Clantons demand that the Doctor come out to them within two minutes or Steven would be hanged in his place. Johnny Ringo (3) Earp refuses to allow the Doctor to go out and confront the crowd and orders Matherson to watch him while he sneaks around back. With all the commotion distracting everybody, Holiday, Fisher and Dodo sneak around back to the stables. As they sling the noose around Steven's neck, Earp knocks Phineas out and Billy is left standing between his gun and Matherson's. As Earp orders the mob disbanded, Charlie the barman arrives and tells Ike and Billy that the real Holiday killed Harper and fled. After threatening the Clantons until they leave, Earp, Steven, Charlie and Matherson carry the unconscious Phineas into the gaol. The Clantons charge back to the Saloon and Pa Clanton orders the brothers to reach out to Johnny Ringo to get after the real Holiday. After they leave, the Doctor and Steven arrive back at the Saloon and Charlie tell them that Dodo was dragged away from Tombstone by Holiday. Outside of town, Dodo, Fisher and Holiday arrive at a motel to spend the night; while Holiday and Fisher argue, he swears that he'll return to Tombstone when the danger passes, before shooting someone for their food. Later that evening, Ringo arrives in town and makes it to the Saloon, where a terrified Charlie serves him a drink. The barman tells Ringo that the Clantons have asked after him and they they too are also after Holiday, who Ringo want to kill for himself. Charlie promises that he won't tell Earp about the meeting but Ringo draws and kills him. Meanwhile, Dodo comes in and orders Holiday to return her to the Doctor but he refuses; Dodo takes his gun and forces him to return her to Tombstone. However, realising he had a gun on her the whole time, she faints. The following morning, the Doctor and Steven make it downstairs to finds Charlie dead and Ringo sat drinking, pretending know nothing. Hearing that they have the intention of going after Holiday, Ringo offers to take them with him on the grounds that they don't stand between he and Holiday. In the gaol, Earp's youngest brother Warren arrives to help against the Clantons and tells Earp that their other brother Virgil is unable to make it. The Doctor comes in and tells Earp about Ringo and the murder at the Saloon; Matherson and Earp go the Last Chance with the Doctor while Warren stays behind with Phineas. While Steven and Ringo split up to search for Holiday, Ringo runs into Fisher, whom she used to date. She lies and claims that Holiday ran out on her when they left Tombstone, intent on New Mexico. Ringo then declares that he's taking her back to Tombstone as revenge for her leaving him. In the gaol, Phineas attempts to get into Warren's head, distracting him long enough for the other Clantons to burst in and free Phineas, gunning Warren down when he tries to reach his gun and they all escape. The O.K. Corral (4) Having concluded that Ringo killed Charlie, Earp, remembering the Doctor's holding the Clantons at gunpoint before, deputises him, just as his brother Virgil waltzes in; while Pa Clanton and Ringo hold Steven, Ike, Billy and Phineas return and tell them that they killed Warren Earp. However, in the gaol, the Earps and the Doctor return to find Warren only just alive from his wounds. However, he soon dies from his injuries after having told his brothers about the Clantons. Earp declares that he's going to get his vengeance against the Clantons, telling Virigl to deliver a message to them to meet at the O.K. Corral. Matherson agrees not to stand in Earp's way but states that he cannot participate in an act of revenge outside the law. Meanwhile, Steven and Fisher discuss ways of getting away from the Clantons when Virgil arrives at the Saloon and they send Ringo out of sight so as to not reveal his presence. Virgil delivers Earp's message to them and they agree to go; Ringo comes out of hiding and tells the brothers that they can face the Earps from ahead while Ringo kills them from behind. The Doctor tries to reason with Earp, to no avail. While Wyatt and Virigl argue about how to deal with both the Clantons and Ringo when Holiday arrives with Dodo on his back and offers to assist them with the problem. Hearing that Fisher is with Ringo, Holiday decrees to fight with the Earps whether they want him to or not. After the Doctor hands the badge and gun back to Matherson and Earp, Holiday decides to stay back while the Earps confront the Clantons in case Ringo is up to something. While the Doctor and Dodo think about how their going to help Steven, Matherson comes in and offers the Doctor the chance to approach the Clantons with the Deputy's bade and ensure them a fair trial to avoid bloodshed and get Steven away from them; with little other choice, the Doctor agrees to the plan. Pa Clanton sends his boys to Tombstone to meet Earp's arrangement while Steven and Fisher remain with him; Steven tells him that this will only end in the brothers being arrested by Matherson, but he ignores them. The Doctor soon arrives and makes his appeal to Pa Clanton; he tells him that Holiday is in Tombstone, ready to assist them Earps, to his surprise on account of what Fisher told Ringo. Arriving at the O.K. Corral, the Clantons stand ready and waiting for the Earps while Ringo heads off to get around behind them when they arrive. Having decided that he can't stop Earp, Matherson simply bids him good luck as he, Virgil and Holiday head off to their square-off. When they arrive, the Clantons open fire on them and the Earps hide. While Holiday searches around, Ringo sneaks up behind him when Dodo jumps to Holiday's defence and he catches her. Holding her hostage, he forces Holiday to drop his arms; as he goes off to pick it up, Dodo gets herself free and Holiday draws another pistol and kills him. With Ringo dealt with, Holiday goes to help the Earps with the Clantons. He manages to take out Billy while Virgil takes out Phineas and between them, they manage to kill Ike, who runs out of bullets just as he has a clear shot. After all is done, Holiday and Fisher leave Tombstone after Matherson releases a wanted poster of him and since Earp is no longer a lawman after his involvement in the stand-off; the travellers soon leave as well, to Dodo's disappointment. In the TARDIS later, the trio observes their next location on the scanner and the Doctor is assured that he knows where they are. After they leave, however, they fail to notice a man moving on the landscapes outside. Cast * Dr. Who - William Hartnell * Steven Taylor - Peter Purves * Dodo Chaplet - Jackie Lane * Ike Clanton - William Hurndell * Phineas Clanton - Maurice Good * Billy Clanton - David Cole * Kate Fisher - Sheena Marshe * Seth Harper - Shane Rimmer * Charlie - David Graham * Wyatt Earp - John Alderson * Doc Holliday - Anthony Jacobs * Bat Masterson - Richard Beale * Pa Clanton - Reed De Rouen * Johnny Ringo - Laurence Payne * Warren Earp - Martyn Huntley * Virgil Earp - Victor Carin * Singer - Lynda Baron Crew * Ballad Music - Tristram Cary * Costumes - Daphne Dare * Designer - Barry Newbury * Film Cameraman - Ken Westbury * Film Editor - Les Newman * Lyrics - Donald Cotton, Rex Tucker * Make-Up - Sonia Markham * Producer - Innes Lloyd * Script Editor - Gerry Davis * Studio Lighting - George Summers * Studio Sound - Colin Dixon * Title Music - Ron Grainer References To be added Story notes To be added Broadcast & Ratings Continuity To be added Home video and audio releases To be added External Links * Official ''The Gunfighters'' page on '''Doctor Who Website